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UK PM Starmer arrives in Kyiv for historic 100-year partnership with Ukraine

by DD Staff

January 16, 2025

UK PM Starmer was met by officials at Kyiv railway station

key takeaways

According to Downing Street, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has arrived in Kyiv to sign a "landmark 100-year partnership" with Ukraine.

According to News.Az, which cites the BBC, the agreement would formalize the military and economic assistance already promised to the nation and provide further benefits.

Days before Donald Trump returns to the White House, the prime minister is making his first trip to the nation since assuming office last summer as a show of solidarity for Ukraine.

Concerned that a new US administration would begin pressuring Ukraine to make peace with Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is eager to seek strong security guarantees from important allies like the UK.

Unlike other prime ministers who have rushed to Kyiv, Sir Keir has taken his time to visit, but after six months in office he has come to Ukraine pledging long-term support.

He was greeted at Kyiv railway station by the UK's ambassador to Ukraine, Martin Harris, and the Ukrainian envoy to London, Valerii Zaluzhnyi.

The highlight of the visit would be the signing of the 100-year partnership agreement, Zuluzhnyi said, which would cover areas from science to culture, with a particular focus on security.

Speaking as he travelled to the country, Sir Keir said: "This is not just about the here and now, it is also about an investment in our two countries for the next century."

"[Russian President Vladimir] Putin's ambition to wrench Ukraine away from its closest partners has been a monumental strategic failure. Instead, we are closer than ever, and this partnership will take that friendship to the next level," he added.